ACROSS THE NATION

Passenger's family sues over fatal crash

September 02, 2006|By Items compiled from Tribune news services.

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY — The family of a woman killed when Comair Flight 5191 took off on the wrong runway and crashed in flames sued the airline Friday, blaming it for the nation's deadliest airplane disaster in five years.

The lawsuit accuses Comair, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines Inc., of negligence and says passenger Rebecca Adams suffered "conscious pain and suffering" when the plane went down Sunday morning and quickly burned with 49 people still inside.

The only survivor was the co-pilot, James Polehinke, who was upgraded at the hospital from critical to serious condition Friday.

Adams' son, Joshua, said the family was pursuing legal action "so that we can one day have the answers we need."